Chambersburg Borough Council supports YMCA expansion

Chambersburg Borough Council supports YMCA expansion

By STACEY DANZUSO / Staff Writer, Chambersburg

CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. - The Chambersburg Borough Council gave its support Wednesday night to the YMCA's expansion project, without any plans to augment on-site parking.

Last week, David Black of David Black and Associates presented a plan that called for rerouting traffic on Middle and Garfield streets to accommodate diagonal parking. The new on-street parking would be needed to recoup the spaces the YMCA will lose to construction.

The YMCA, on McKinley Street, is landlocked and parking is already cramped.

The long-range plans call for two new rooms, one for teenagers and one for youths, modernizing one pool and adding an air-conditioned fitness center on top of three existing racquetball courts.

There was some disagreement about the suggestions for Middle and Garfield streets, and after meeting with the Chambersburg Area School District and the Army National Guard reserve center, Black said he and YMCA officials decided to scrap the plan.

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The school district and the reserve center own land across from the YMCA and would be affected by the proposed changes.

Black said it will be at least two years before the YMCA begins construction, and all three groups will work together to come up with an arrangement to share parking.

"It will be two years until the Y starts construction, and we feel in that time frame we can work with them on a plan," Black said.

"We all share common needs for parking and will work together."

Currently, the YMCA is required to have more than 90 on-site spaces, but construction would cut that to a little more than 60 spots.

Black said he will present the YMCA's plans to the borough planning and zoning office and seek a variance to the on-site parking requirements.

Council members agreed to express their support to the planning and zoning board, which is responsible for approving or denying the YMCA's plans.